Educational device for teaching orientation by compass



" 1943- J. v. HORR 2,333,933

EDUCATIONAL DEVICE FOR TEACHING ORIENTATION BY COMPASS Filed March 17,1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John TZHorr J. V. HORR Nov. 9, 1943.

EDUCATIONAL DEVICE FOR TEACHING ORIENTATION BY COMPASS Filed March 17,1943 a Sheets-Sheet 2 Twm www wm A IIIIIIIII iflllfllllllfll/ rll I555:: S35" I INVENTOR .John V. Hori- 52w ATTORNE Patented Nov. 9, 1943 nCATIONAL mivicnroit TEACHING s 4' ORIENTATION BY COMPASS" J ohn V. Hort,North Tarrytown, N. Y., assignor'to. 1'

"Einson-Freeman 00., Inc., Long Island City,

7 N Y. a corporation of Delaware v lpplication March 17,

Claims.

My present invention relates generally to educational devices, andhas'parti'cular reference to an educational devicefor reachingorientation-by compass. y

A type of compass currently inwide use consists of a case or chamber'having'a. top wall'of glass or other transparent material andaccommodating a freely pivoted magnetically-movable 1943. Serial vm47a39(Ci. as -1'39) 'element'which is so constructedthat 1a predeterminedportion always assumes a northerly position. Generally, the pivotedelement is in the form of a disk which bears on its upper surface aseries of circumferentially arranged degree markingsor similar compassdesignations. Associated with the case at diametrically oppositepositions, usually in'ahinged or foldable relationship to the case, arefront and rear' sights by means ofjwhich the user of the compass. isenabled to sight along a 'straight line toward a selected objective.When such objective is properly sighted, its'compass direction may bedetermined by observing the relationshipwhich then exists between theline of sight'and the compass indications on the magnetically movabledisk or element. I a

It is a general object of my'prese t invention .to provide aneducationaldevice by means of which this technique'and the generalnature and use of a compass, are taughtfto a student. It is a moreparticular object of the invention to provide a device of simplestructural nature, composed entirely of relatively. inexpensivematerialsuch as cardboard, whereby large quantities may be man.- uiacturedexpeditiously and atloW expense.

The present device is of course of non-magnetic character, and is notintended to be used as a compass, but only for instructional purposes.It consists essentially of a flat backing, a ,means fixedly associatedwith the backing and simulating the magnetically-movable element of. areal compass, and cooperable front and rear sights secured in arotatable'manner to the backing.

The construction is of such a'character that the sights are rotatable,as a unit in acir'cular direction around an jaxis concentric with thefixed compass indications, and the student is thus enabledto adjust theparts into various angular relationships simulating those which would.be encountered during the actual use .of a real compass. 1, v

Simplicity of structure and easeof manipulae tion are achieved by aspecial designand arrangement of parts whereby the entire educationaldevice may. be constructed at low cost ofa r.ela-.- tively small numberof fiat elements composed of cardboard or the like. Y

I achieve'the foregoing generalobjects and advantages, and such otherobjects and advantages as may hereinafter appear or bepointed out, inthe manner illustratively 'exemplified'in the'accompanying drawings' inwhichz' is a" perspective view of an educational device of thepresentcharacter with the sights set into operative positi'ons; I1

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing'the sights illustrativelyset-intoan adjusted position;

Fig. 3*is; an enlarged'cross-sectional viewtakensubstantialy'alongthe'line 3 3 'of F'ig. l;

Fig; 4 #is a'fragmenta'ry cro ssfsectional T view taken-substantiallyalong thefline tl of Fig. 1;

Fig/5 18: a bottom view --taken--.substantially Fig. fi'isa planview ofa'blank of she'etmaterial of which one of the elements of the device maybe constructed. 11 y} Inthe preferred embodiment herein illustrated,

I provide a flat supporting b'acking III in the form of a substantiallyrectangular blank' ofcardboard,' this blank being preferably 'hingeda sat l l and l2.to side fiaps or'i'portibns l-ii andwld. The extensions 13and H are: not essential to I the operation of the present device, butserve as a co'nvenient meansfor enclosing the essential: elements .ofthestructurezwhen itris not in. use. That is, whenthe partsxarefoldedinto substantiallyflat compacted relationship; on the" backing H]. (thisprocedure. being indicated bylthe dot-1 and-dash lines of Fig-.- 3') theflaps or extensions 1 3, and it maybe folded successively downwardlyonto the backing ,HJ to formaconvenientttype of folder which, enclosesand protects the --1operative portions of the. device. Moreover,theextensions l3 and 14 afford desirable space for suchinstructions,diagrams, or ;other;educational .matter, as may be deemedadvisable. Theface of the backing [0 may also bear suchmarkings;orcindicia' as may bedeemed desirable to instruct the student in the use of the device or intheusepf an actual compass.

:' Mounted. onthe backinginds. a; circular disk r; el men l w i ma b ecui k s i by n convenient means such asadhesi e or the like. Both thebacking l il, the .flapsthatgmay ;be associated with it, and the elementl5- may be equivalent inexpensive-sheet. mate al e 5 i b b ni1 ,ini Lbacking l 0, and is of; suihcient rigidity to; retain its disposition-ina single plane.:-, ;Thi element i serves-as a iixedfiircular,bearingyaround which the movable portion of the structure is rotatable.

'until the tree or objective 'becomes'visibl e in the slot 25 of thesight 22. He then removes his eye from the sight opening 23 and observesthe'relationship which the sightsnow have with respect to the degreemarkings on the disk 16. To facilitate this determination, he may, if heso desires, fold the sight 2! downwardly onto' the disk l6 so that thenotch 24 will focus'hls attention accurately upon the direction he isseeking to determine. In a similar way, he may be arbitrarily informedthat a certain objective such as a 'tr'ee or the like, has'a certainspecifiedcon pass direction, and he maybe asked, on'this assumption, todetermine which clirection is northl To do this, he would rotate thesights into registry with the given direction, he would then lookthrough the sight 'opening23 andturn bodily until the objective camewithin his-line of'sight through "the slot 25, and the marking IT onthe-disklfi would then point in-the direction he was asked to determine.By exercises of this character, and by corresponding manipulations andstudy of the relationships of the parts with respect to differentsightsthrough the opening 23 and the slot 25, the student is thus rapidlyenabled to become not only familiar with the general art of orientationby compass, but with the nature and mode of operation of an actualcompass which he will ultimately be called upon to manipulate and use.

Where the transparent additional disk 19 is employed, it may be providedwith radial mark ings either luminous or otherwise, to facilitate thereadings which are to be made on the disk 16 and to familiarize thestudent with corresponding auxiliary parts that may be employedon anactual compass. 1

It will be understood that the particular shapes of the parts involved,and of the other details herein described and illustrated, may bemodified by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An educational device for teaching orientation by compass, comprisinga fiat supporting backing, means fixedly associated with said backingand bearing indicia simulating the magnetically-movable element of acompass and a set of circumferentially-arranged degree markings,cooperable front and rear sights arranged at diametrically oppositeportions of said set of markings, and means securing said sights to saidbacking to allow rotation thereof as a unit about an axis concentricwith said set of markings.

2. An educational device for teaching orientation by compass, comprisinga flat supporting backing, means fixedly associated with said backingand bearing indicia simulating the magnetically-movable element of acompass and a set of circumferentially-arranged degree markings,coperable front and rear sights arranged at diametrically oppositeportions of said set ofmarkings, and means securing said sights to saidbacking to allow rotation thereof as a unit about an axis concentricwith said set of markings, said securing means comprising a stripconnecting said sights at the bases thereof, the midportion of saidstrip being rotatably secured to said backing.

3 An educational device for teaching orientation by compass, comprisinga flat supporting backing, means fixedly associated with said backingand bearing indicia simulating the magneticardboard,

cally-movable element of compass and a set ofcircumferentiallyfarrangeddegree markings, cooperable front andrearsights arranged at diametrically opp'osite portions of said-set ofmarking's; and means securings'aid sights to said;back'- ing to'allow'rotation thereof as a unit about an said sights at thebasesthereof, the midportion "of saidstrip being rotatablysecured tosaid backing, saidsights and {connecting j strip forming 'hingedlyconnected portionsiof' a" single blank of the sights beingfoldab lealong their res'pectivehi nge lines to permit adjustment either upwardlyinto" spaced-substantially vertical planes-or downwardly intosubstantially horizontal'planes. j {4; An educational deviceforteachirigbrientation byfcompass, comprising a flat supportingbacking,-

"disk 'fixedly' rnounted on said backing and bearil'lg indiciasimulating the magnetically- 'movable element off a compass andasetofcircumferentially arrang'ed degree markings, cooperable front andrear sights arranged at diametrically opposite portions of said disk,and means beneath said disk securing said sights to said backing toallow rotation thereof as a unit about an axis concentric with saiddisk.

5. An educational device for teaching orientation by compass, comprisinga fiat supporting backing, a disk fixedly mounted on said backing andbearing indicia simulating the magneticallymovable element of a compassand a set of circumferentially-arranged degree markings, cooperablefront and rear sights arranged at diametrically opposite portions ofsaid disk, and

means beneathsaid disk securing said sights to said backing to allowrotation thereof as a unit about an axis concentric with said disk, saidsecuring means comprising a strip arranged beneath said'disk andconnecting said sights at the bases thereof, the midportion of saidstrip being rotatably secured to said backing.

6. An educational device for teaching orientation by compass, comprisinga flat supporting cardboard backing, a cardboard disk fixedly mounted onsaid backing and bearing indicia simulating the magnetically-movableelement of a compass and a set of circumferentially-arranged degreemarkings, cooperable front and rear sights arranged at diametricallyopposite portions of said disk, and means beneath said disk securingsaid sights to said backing to allow rotation thereof as a unit about anaxis concentric with said disk, said securing means comprising a striparranged beneath said disk and connecting said sights at the basesthereof, the midportion of said strip being rotatably secured to saidbacking, said sights and connecting strip forming hingedly-connectedportions of an element of cardboard, the sights being foldable alongtheir respective hinge lines to permit adjustment either upwardly intospaced parallel vertical planes or downwardly into substantiallyparallel horizontal planes.

7. An educational device for teaching orientation by compass, comprisinga flat supporting swat eee n y s 241% w: 4% ai .ais s 3; 5 mmm 2132. we:mm;

11. m, a'ywwwmwm a a n w; mm pxvqimasi-

